AceShowbiz -

Former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear was killed in an attempted highway robbery. The 29-year-old beauty and her ex-husband Henry Thomas Berry were shot to death during the incident while their daughter Maya, who was shot in the leg, survived.

According to The Associated Press (via The Hollywood Reporter), Spear, who was a popular telenovela actress, and Berry, 49, were murdered Monday, January 6 at about 10:30 P.M. on a roadside near Puerto Cabello, Venezuela's main port. They were returning from vacation to Caracas when their rented car was stranded on the road due to tire punctures.

That's when armed men approached the vehicle. The trio resisted by locking themselves inside the car and the assailants opened fire. At least six shots were fired by the assailants, said Jose Gregorio Sierralta, the director of the country's investigative police. Maya, 5, has received medical attention and is in stable condition.

Spear split her time between Venezuela and Miami, the United States. She was crowned Miss Venezuela in 2004 and starred in numerous soap operas for Telemundo, including "Pasion Prohibida". Her co-star Jencarlos Canela tweeted after learning the shocking news, "I'm without words. I will miss my friend @MonicaSpear. And I love you, beautiful Maya. You are not alone!"

The incident was the latest high-profile crime in the country, which has one of the world's highest murder rates at 79 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2013.